Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-08
KNIGHTS OF LABOR.
POwderly Endorses the Common
sense of Chicago.

| SenSc VI OMlCAHVs
!, HARRISBURG, Pa, April 1.-Two hun
dred Knights of Labor, representing
every district in Pennsylvania, met here
this afternoon to consider the various
bills relating to labor now before the
Legislature. General Master Workman
Powderly presided, and on calling the
convention to order, made an ad.
dress iu which he expressed him
self as we'll pleased with the resnlt OF
the Chicago election. 1t is understood
tha. the Legislators who have introduced
labor bills will be requested to explain
them. The Convention will draft Il
memorial to the Legislature embodying
its views, and present it on Monday. A
public meeting in the House of Repre-
sentatives tonight was very largely at.
tended. Powderly presided and made
| q speech, in which he asserted that la
bor had right to be represented here
by men to look after his interest in the
Legislature. He said: 'We are charged
with being anarchists and favorng
me easures that tend to anarchy. As
child of our organization, can say that
anarchy finds no abiding place in our
midst, but monopolists want to make the
people believe the contrary. No matter
what errors we have committed in the
past. we have always aimed at
doing right. We have pursued
policy and found out things that
are right and wrong, but we have
always kept clear of one thing that
brings odium on our country-anarchy.
We rejoice, therefore, 10 the defeat Of
the anarchist candidates In Chicago. /
read the result of the elections in Chicago
the other day and I was glad to see and
hear that the workingmen of that great
city were good enough to throw the lie
back into the faces of those who passed
as their friends and representatives. No
sooner did the anarchist ticket 90 before
the people than its supporter said: Eve
will carry the ticket through under the
flag on whose face not one star glistens
not one stripe is to be found, and the
teachings of such men as Powderly and
Griffiths will have no weight with us
But they found on election that anarchy
was showed under as 1t was never
showed under before. and say amen to
that every time. Great applause. l
did not know but what in decorating
this hall you might forget to place the
American flag on the wall Thursday.
Fearing that it might be forgotten l
broughtth with me this morning there
Mr.. Powderly exhibited a flag amid
tremendous applause,) and l brought
it down here so that if we were charged
with not being Americans that there
was one who swore by that flag and no
other. Here Mr.. Powderly presented
the flag to M. s. Burrell, of Carbondale,
an old friend.] Let them tomorrow
morning, after these outbursts of ap-
plause, charge us with being anything
else but free. born American citizens, and
these manifestations which you have
now given expression to will be q refu.
tation of that lie which will ring down
the centuries in condemnation of the
red flag. Now, my brothers, We are
here and we will stand or fall by the
sentiments we have given utter
ance to. We are here as Ameri-
cans to teach American legisls ion in
the interest of the American people and
in our American way, and also to say
that those men who assembled in the
city of Philadelphia o hundred years
ago and gave out the Declaration of In.
dependence to the world were right
when they declared that all men were
created free and equal and endowed with
certain inalienable rights; and that we
believe they told the truth, and that it
still continues to be, instead of living
lie as some of these men would have the
people believe. [Applause.] We can
do this without being anarchists,
and do it without becoming par
tisans and without being tied to the
chariot wheels of either end Of the Dem
ocratic or Republican parties. Zap.
plause.] The Legislature a few years
ago would not have paid the slightest at
tention to labor organization, but now
the knights of Laber could defeat any
candidate, and q word to the wise-this
Legislature-would be sufficient. The
boycott was wrong for man that was
boycotted, and SO was blacklistipg wrong
for the man that made the blacklist"
He did not believe in either. He be-
iieved in arbitration, and be would make
arbitration compulsory.